Things Change
by hypergirl
Summary: Just the first chapter. About Jim and how Gene and he meet. My take on it...


Things Change  
The blond walked down the alleyway that he called his home. He was thin, on the point of emaciation and very tiny. He looked fragile, like a little porcelain doll, but there was a fighting spirit contained in the boy's frail body. A spirit that had kept him alive while others around him succumbed to death. The same spirit refused to be intimidated by the older boys who tried to cheat the smaller kids out of the scraps they found. He was new enough to the neighborhood not to have had any encounters with them yet, but he knew, when he saw a small band of them smiling evilly as they walked towards him, that he was just about to.   
Not one to fear the inevitable, he accepted this without any doubts about what would happen if he attempted to stand up to the larger, stronger, older boys. Even though he knew it would get him into deep trouble, he wasn't about to give up his food to anybody. These kids got to eat almost every day, and he had last eaten four days ago. The only reason he could still get around was because he had gotten used to living without much food. He had to, living on the streets it was the only way to survive. He hadn't, at first, understood why the kids always brought food to the alley to eat. Wouldn't it make more sense to eat the food before they were in the alley? That way the older ones couldn't take it from them. They had replied that if they didn't bring the food back here to eat, the police would arrest them for being 'gross' by eating that 'filth'. So they had to come back.  
The boys came closer, two of the six sporting small clubs. Their leering faces came toward him. He recognized the largest of the lot, one of his new friends had mentioned his name. Rafe was what Tim, his friend, had called him. Rafe was supposed to be one of the meaner old ones. The boy groaned inwardly, just his luck.   
The young boy took flight, thinking that this was the best solution. If he hadn't been so hungry, he might have acted differently. But if he gave the small amount of food he had found to them, it was unlikely he would find enough to keep himself alive within the next few days.   
Hearing the footsteps behind him coming closer, he forced himself to go faster. His lungs were burning, but that was a more than fair price to pay if he got away. He was gasping for breath, but he had to keep going. If he stopped know, he would be lucky to get only a few broken bones. They were still getting closer; he could feel them right on his back.   
One of them caught up and roughly shoved him to the ground. The others immediately formed a circle around the boy, preventing his escape. The young one looked around, seeking a break in the circle, or even a weak spot. Finding none he put a brave front on, hoping he came out of this alive.  
The one who had pushed him down was smirking "Did you think you could get away from us? Ha, fat chance. Now, you have to pay kid." Having finished his eloquent speech *cough*not*cough*, he proceeded to teach the boy a lesson. He brought his fist back and slammed it into the boy's stomach, causing him to fold in half. Without giving him a chance to recover, he brought his other fist up and caught him under the jaw.  
(())(())(())(Lookit! I'm an artist!)  
Gene was young, but not so very young. He sported scars from previous battles and was making a name for himself in the bounty-hunting industry. His striking red hair made it easy for him to be spotted in a crowd. He walked along jauntily, hardly noticing that he had entered the 'bad' section of town. He noticed some figures down an alley, they were apparently beating on some poor stray. Kicking it and hitting the poor thing with clubs.  
Never one to promote animal abuse, he started down said alley and yelled "Hey! You kids! Leave the poor thing alone." The boys, finally realizing they weren't alone in the alley, fled upon hearing Gene's voice. Gene continued toward the figure in the dust and, as he neared the limp form, he realized it was a child. He felt nauseous, they had been beating another kid? He bent down to get a better look at the boy. Ugh, thought Gene, this kid doesn't look too good   
  
Hypergirl: I wasn't in the mood for a fight scene, but I think it came out okay… Well, do ya wanna know what happens? Tell me what you think!!!  



End file.
